A lot of people (including this editorial board) were disappointed when it turned out that Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl would have no challenger in this year's Democratic primary. The situation is almost the same for the Allegheny County chief executive, where issues cry out for debate yet there is no Republican on the ballot and the Democratic contest next Tuesday is a mismatch.

Although incumbent Dan Onorato, 46, of the North Side does have a challenger for the Democratic nomination, the effort being mounted by Richard Swartz, 54, of Friendship is very limited. As the executive director since 1981 of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp., Mr. Swartz knows his community and knows how to organize grass-roots support behind an initiative. That may be his downfall in this campaign -- plus lack of funds and lack of time to spread his message.

Mr. Swartz's critique of the county executive says Dan Onorato has a "top-down administrative style" that does not seek citizen input or expert opinion. He says too many issues -- like the Penguins lease and arena deal -- have been handled behind closed doors.

We couldn't disagree more.

When it came time to reorganize the Kane nursing centers, which had been a drain on the county budget, Mr. Onorato named a broad-based task force to develop a plan. When the county was facing a $31 million budget deficit, Mr. Onorato didn't poll the county employee unions about what to do -- he cut 500 jobs from the payroll. When the Pittsburgh Penguins began talking to other cities about moving the franchise, Mr. Onorato joined with Gov. Ed Rendell and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl -- the public's representatives -- in, yes, private negotiations to keep the team here.

In short, Mr. Onorato is a take-charge leader who knows when an issue needs the attention of a commission and when it is his call alone. He has bucked his own Democratic Party leadership, by advocating the row-office consolidation that was later approved by voters, and even this editorial board, by sticking with the base-year property assessment method rather than doing regular revaluations.

He is a fiscally responsible Democrat who is bullish on economic development and determined to support its urban core, his hometown. That doesn't mean all is going well in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh remains under the thumb of two state oversight groups and the county transit system will face sharp cuts this summer. But those problems only make the case for an experienced hand.

Rick Swartz has noble principles and a desire to engage more people in local decision-making. But Allegheny County is a metro hub with 1.2 million people, not a Vermont hamlet. He might make a responsive city councilman one day, but for county chief executive Democrats should stick with the name they know -- and nominate Dan Onorato.